Sacred Band of Thebes - Ancient Gay Army

The film 300, directed by Zack Snyder, gave movie lovers around the world the image of prestige brave Spartan warriors who fought indomitably until the last minute, despite that the enermy troops are way larger (upto million soldiers) for a troop of 300 soldiers.

Guess what? This troop of 300 exists! Existed actually, and they weren't Spartan. They were the Sacred Band of Thebes.

The Sacred Band of Thebes was a troop of picked soldiers, consisting of 150 pairs of male lovers which formed the elite force of the Theban army in the 4th century BC. It is said to have been organized by the Theban commander Gorgidas in 378 BC and to have played a crucial role in the Battle of Leuctra. It was annihilated by Philip II of Macedon in the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC.

But...why gays?

Well...Although these sexual relationships offends our modern morals, sensibility and laws, at the time, the deep attachment between the two males was seen as a military advantage:

"Homer’s Nestor was not well skilled in ordering an army . . . [that would] rank tribe and tribe and family and family together . . . but that he should have joined lovers and their beloved. For men of the same tribe or family little value one another when dangers press; but a band cemented by friendship grounded upon love is never to be broken, and invincible; since the lovers, ashamed to be base in the sight of their beloved, and the beloved before their lovers, willingly rush into danger for the relief of one another..."

And, with regard to the Theban elite unit, this proved to be exactly what happened. They fought bravely for their love. They became champions.

Let's learn about them.

First Victory

The Sacred Band’s first triumph was at the Battle of Tegyra in 375 B.C., where, upon coming unexpectedly upon a much larger force of Spartans, a Theban soldier said:

“We have fallen into our enemies’ hands!”

To which Pelopidas (the Band’s leader) replied:

“Why any more . . . than they into ours? Then he at once ordered all his horsemen to ride . . . [into the larger force of Spartans, whose] whole army was seized with fear and opened up a lane for the Thebans . . . [who] used the path thus opened . . . and slew them as he went along . . . . They had succeeded . . . in conquering their enemy outright . . . . Never before had Lacedaemonians [Spartans] in superior numbers been overpowered by an inferior force . . . .”

Greatest Victory

At the Battle of Leuctra in 371 B.C., the Sacred Band helped Thebes end Spartan domination of the region:

“The 300 members of the elite Sacred Band . . . [had] swore to defend their lovers to the death . . . was positioned on the left wing . . . [and while Theban horsemen were creating chaos among the Spartan ranks] . . . Pelopidas and the Sacred Band also attacked Cleombrotus’ [the Spartan leader’s] position resulting in the fatal wounding of the Spartan king and the complete defeat of the Spartan right.”

Sparta’s loss allowed Thebes to establish itself as the Greek hegemon for the next decade.

Loyal to the Last

The end of the Sacred Band corresponded with Philip II of Macedonia’s defeat of the Greek city-states in 338 B.C. at the Battle of Chaeronea, where a young Macedonian prince came to prominence:

“Then Alexander, his heart set on showing his father his prowess . . . first succeeded in rupturing the solid front of the enemy line . . . . Corpses piled up, until finally Alexander forced his way through the line . . .”

Historians believe that Alexander had: “Attacked the Greek right wing, which was occupied by the famous “Sacred Band” of Thebans, which was massacred.”

According to Plutarch, the conquering king was moved by the Sacred Band’s courage: “After the battle, Philip was surveying the dead, and stopped at the place where the three hundred were lying, all where they had faced the long spears of his phalanx, with their armour, and mingled one with another, he was amazed, and on learning that this was the band of lovers and beloved, burst into tears and said, ‘Perish miserably they who think that these mend did or suffered aught disgraceful.'”

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